put on hold — to temporarily suspend, delay, or postpone something
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to temporarily suspend, delay, or postpone something
Pronunciation (IPA): /pʊt ɑn hoʊld/
Example Sentences
- My wedding plans were put on hold when my fiancé decided to become a professional cheese taster.
- The company put hiring on hold until the zombie apocalypse situation improved.
- Due to the pandemic, many travel plans were put on hold indefinitely.
put on hold
VERB[/pʊt ɑn hoʊld/]
to temporarily suspend, delay, or postpone something
The manager put the project on hold until the budget was approved.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
This phrase originated from telephony systems in the mid-20th century. 'Hold' derives from Old English 'healdan' (to grasp, maintain), which was semantically extended in telephone contexts to mean placing a call in a waiting state. The expression later generalized to denote any temporary suspension or delay.
Breakdown
put (place, position) + on (upon, in a state of) + hold (from Old English healdan: grasp, maintain). The compound conveys placing something into a state of suspension or waiting.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My wedding plans were put on hold when my fiancé decided to become a professional cheese taster.”
“The company put hiring on hold until the zombie apocalypse situation improved.”
“Due to the pandemic, many travel plans were put on hold indefinitely.”
“The renovation project was put on hold when we discovered the house was haunted by a very particular ghost who only liked vintage wallpaper.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
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